When Pastor “Mebrahtu” was finally released from prison, there was just one thing he wanted to do – go back to proclaiming the Gospel.
“He headed straight to the mission field to preach,” explains a member of the Barnabas Projects team, “even before going home to be with his family.”
“The Gospel is advancing,” says Mebrahtu. “God is doing amazing things in this country.”
Pastors in Eritrea risk imprisonment and death [Image credit: Cottonbro Studio/Pexels]
Mebrahtu has served multiple prison sentences. His crime? To preach Christ crucified and minister to the Lord’s people in Eritrea.
Persecution of Christians here is amongst the most savage in the world. The scale of human rights abuses is so high that the country has earned for itself the epithet “Africa’s North Korea”.
Yet the sacrificial ministry of Pastor Mebrahtu demonstrates that our brothers and sisters are willing to continue following Christ despite the desperate hardships they face.
Prison or poverty
Most churches are completely outlawed in Eritrea. Even those that are permitted face harassment and persecution.
Many believers are in prison. In an interview, another pastor described forced labour, cramped and overcrowded cells, beatings and torture. “Whenever you go into prison, they don’t tell you how long you will stay,” he said. Many will never be released.
Thousands of Christians are enduring these abuses right now. Pastors and church leaders often receive the worst treatment.
The notorious Mai Serwa maximum security jail where many Christians endure harsh conditions and are often detained without trial [Image credit: UNOSAT]
Those not in prison minister in underground churches. They live with the constant risk of arrest, often in desperate poverty.
Many believers have had no choice but to escape into neighbouring countries. Already impoverished (Eritrea is one of the world’s poorest countries), they are now in urgent need.
Barnabas Aid is working with partners in the region to supply the needs of 300 refugee families and 25 pastors of underground churches in Eritrea itself.
Could you give a gift to an Eritrean Christian today? Could you pray for their spiritual and material needs, asking that the Lord will bless and sustain His people through all their hardship?
How you can pray
Lord God and Heavenly Father, we pray that You will draw near to our Eritrean brothers and sisters. Please sustain their faith and their confidence in You despite their suffering. Please be especially close to those in prison and those forced to leave their homes behind. We pray that You will meet their material and spiritual needs at this time, because we ask it in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
How you can give
£6 ($7.20; €6.60) could provide sanitary items for female Christian refugees
£32 ($38; €35) could provide 20kg of flour and 10 litres of cooking oil
£100 ($120; €110) could provide 20 Bibles for Christian refugees, or pastors who may have had their Bibles confiscated
